GlenHaven Farm – brought to you by the letter G! G for GlenHaven, G for God, G for green pastures and great animals. Gee it’s gosh darn hot outside so pass the sweet tea and take few minutes to chat! Just when you think you can’t take another day of heat and humidity, (I liken it to roasting a wet sponge), God sends the rain! Hallelujah – it happened this morning and today, G is for glorious!

We’ve got two very pregnant cows scheduled to deliver any day now. My plan was for them to be pregnant at separate times of the year, not at the same time – somehow they didn’t get that memo so we’ve had no fresh milk since May! Aaagh – difficult for us raw milk addicts around here! So, for them G is for get on with it, already!

G is also for goats, more specifically, Nigerian Dwarf goats! Their chief job around here is to prove no fence can stand against their escape tactics and then to climb on your lap so you can’t be mad at them! They’re very affectionate and nothing brings comfort like a 10 goat cuddle as the day wanes into night!

Jerid and Truman

But the best part of the letter G is the great workers we have around here – running a farm like this is definitely a group effort, each person doing their part and we appreciate all they do!

I could GO on and on (see what I did there?) but I will go ahead and save some G words for another post.

GlenHaven is alive and well even if we have only been sporadic on the blog scene. It was 2 years ago this month we bought our farm and time has flown at warp speed! We’ve come a long way and when I stop to look around realizing what God has done I. am. in. awe.

Last night as I was petting Violet our beautiful Jersey she turned her head towards me as if to say, “pretty cool, huh?”

I concur Violet – it is very cool to pet your own cow (insert chicken, pig, goat or donkey) whenever you like along with a beautiful view and no traffic noise. Sometimes these critters drive ya nuts with their escapades but all in all their personalities provide hours of entertainment!

Chickens are like a gateway drug – you start out with 2 or 3 then you end up hooked with a whole farm full of critters! We’ve hatched out over 30 birds this year – even managing to sell some hens and eggs for pocket cash.

Right now, our bovine population is 3 cows, a Ferdinand type bull and 2 calves. Cows are actually very curious animals, they always want to know what’s going on and have a stealthy way of sneaking up on you. How 1000 pounds can be stealthy I still don’t know.

Our goats multiplied into 13 total with 10 currently here. They are cuddly, stubborn and master escape artists. Fortunately, the only place they run is to the feed room or unfortunately to my garden.

In the equine department (or as my sister asks, equine or assinine?) we have 2 sweet donkeys who help out with guard duty. They love scritches between their ears and nibbling carrots out of your hands. They are most often seen in BFF pose – huddled up as telling secrets & about to take a selfie.

Duckwise we have 2 roving gangs of 6 each who often get into turf wars as they cruise the property in between forays to the pond.

They are great egg layers, we are just not as good at finding the eggs as the dogs are.

Speaking of dogs, Warrior and Tali man the perimeter on night shift (hence the serious nap) while our inside pair, Bailey and Ruwa do personal guard duty from the foot of the bed. Warrior responds to every coyote howl with a message of his own, Tali is his back up . . . this farm really is a dog’s paradise!

Hamlet and Ophelia are low on drama but their little piglets push the envelope at times. Ophelia has birthed 14 piglets (more pocket change) and they’ve done a fine job clearing out some ground in the hardwoods.

Our foray into meat chickens has been successful. Friends and family report a consistent state of culinary pleasure to the taste buds. We’ve raised 3 turkeys for our personal consumption – those dudes are big!

So, that’s our two year wrap up in the critter countdown. I am in awe once again at God’s faithfulness. Not everything has gone perfectly and I’ve definitely made some mistakes but He has never failed us! The foundation is laid – now let’s see what God has in store for us next!

As I was perusing through Ezekiel during my quiet time I was drawn to chapter 33:14, “Again when I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die, if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right … ” I realized with a fresh awareness of the LOVE God has for each of us.

In the Old Testament, God exhibited His love by sending prophet after prophet to pull His children back from the brink of disaster; sometimes they listened but most of the time they were so caught up in doing what they wanted to do instead of what they should do. Often they didn’t see how trapped they were in a mess of their own making.

I have great experience with this . . .

He was patient, told story after story, gave sign after sign, often waiting decades for people to get the message; sending many warnings yet they wouldn’t listen. He only wanted them to have the best life possible.

I am familiar with not wanting to listen, too.

It’s a simple deal, really. We all make mistakes and do dumb things (some are dumber than others) but it’s never too late, no matter what we’ve done, to turn and walk a different way. Jesus is just waiting for us to call Him so He can pour out His grace on us.

See, Jesus died for us – He gave His life so we could hang out with God both now and for eternity – through Him! Giving our life to Jesus is not just about eternity, it’s about having a more peaceful, fulfilling life here and now. If you’re anything like me, you tried to find contentment in a myriad of ways: drugs, alcohol, poor relationships or material possessions and none of it mattered. None of those things can take away the pain or bring peace and contentment like Jesus can.

We don’t deserve it – He did it anyway – that’s love.

Do you need some Jesus in your life? Do you need a fresh start?

Then make a decision to talk to Him right now.

Say something like this: “Jesus I have messed up and I am done with that type of life! Will you forgive me and help me walk a different way, Your way? Thank you for dying on the cross for me – I give my life to you Jesus! Amen!

That’s it.

Now, round up a Bible and start reading the book of John. It’s in the New Testament, 4th book and see the love God has for you! And when you get to Chapter 14:6 underline or highlight this verse:

“For I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Just so you know – He is the WAY to truth and life, the only way –

and if I had not given my life to Jesus I would probably be dead now….

In a pondering moment recently I was contemplating some scripture out of Ezekiel the Lord had brought to my attention. To give you a bit of history, Ezekiel was a prophet who had been taken in exile to Babylon while Continue reading →

Greetings from Glen Haven! Since I’ve been lax in posting over the summer I would like to bring you current on the latest events. We’ve grown tremendously, making lots of progress (hence the lack of posts) and we’re pleased with the results. Back in May we experienced Continue reading →